


The Lost Ones

by Skullszeyes



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Barbarian Link, Blood, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Abandonment, Developing Friendships, Fights, Friendship, Gen, Injury, Language Barrier, Long Lost/Secret Relatives, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective, Secrets, Slow To Update, Swearing, Zonai Tribe, dream connection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-18
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2020-12-22 20:49:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21082883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skullszeyes/pseuds/Skullszeyes
Summary: Link wants to leave his tribe and explore the world, except he has a destiny he's completely unaware of, and it's catching up to him in the form of a young princess.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo. I got this idea when I was looking at Barbarian!Link fanart, and it just looks so good, and this is canon diversion, so everything in the game isn't canon in the story. I'm making all this up on the spot, so yay! :D Also, I enjoy Beedle being one of Link's friends, and they have to deal with one another, but usually friends are like that, and yeah! :D 
> 
> So, hopefully you enjoy this fic.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciative.

_ He’s out there, somewhere. I just need to find him. _

* * *

The noonday sun was sweltering in this part of Floria. He held his hand crafted dagger and moved quick through the brush of tall grass and wide leaves that hung low. He went still beneath the shade of a tall tree, wide around, and had a golden beetle crawling on top of it. 

He reached up and grasped it in his hand. Staring peculiarly at the squirming insect and sprinted through the forest once more. Past the trees, the bushes, before he heard growling up ahead, and a familiar cry. 

He slowed his pace, lowered himself and made his way toward the noise. He peered out toward the pathway that led straight through the West Necluda. This path always seems to have people walking along it, the grass stamped out by their feet, their voices seemed to quiet even the insects and beings within the forests. 

This was no exception, except he thought maybe it wouldn’t end up like this again. He only had his dagger on him, while his other hand held the golden beetle. He wrinkled his nose, and jumped from the grass and leaves, and swung his blade down upon the neck of a Bokoblin. 

It held a thick stick wrapped with vine that kept the bones it collected tightly wound, a perfect weapon, powerful, with a hard hit. Which the Bokoblin did when it swung as his blade sunk into the skin, dark blood oozed out, and its weapon slammed into his head. 

He landed hard on the ground, his vision slightly blurring, but his name was called multiple times from a man with brown hair shaped like a bowl. His eyes were wide, and then his attention snapped back to the Bokoblin that was growling under the hot sun. 

He scrambled away from the Bokoblin, his thoughts wandered to the beetle in his hand, and was slightly relieved it was still squirming around, trying to get away from the fight. 

“We should run,” the man called, “we should run!”

Sweat eased down the side of his face as he swung the knife at the Bokoblin, a growl leaving his own mouth, a rumble in his chest, a strong yearn to kill the Bokoblin. 

“You’re bleeding...oh my, you’re bleeding! We have to go, we have to get out of here!” 

He ignored the screaming, and pounced upon the Bokoblin, the blade cutting into the skin again, he pulled out and swung again, the knife split skin, blood streamed out until the Bokoblin’s legs buckled under his weight, and it fell beneath him. 

“Oh...it’s dead...I think.”

He pulled the blade out and stumbled back, hear racing inside his chest, mind muddled by the heat, and his skin warm from blood. 

The man that had been screaming appeared beside him. He wore a worried expression that wasn’t exactly new, but this time, he seemed particularly concerned. “Link...you’re bleeding...and now you’re falling…” 

His vision faded from his eyes, and when they opened, for a split second he had thought of the hot blue sky, the bright sun, the green leaves and the grass, and dew upon the tips of bright colored flowers while the insects roamed. He had thought of home on a hard surface, and the voice of someone close by, kicking him to wake up..

This was not like like how he imagined it be. 

Instead, he stared at a ceiling, stone grey with simple designs, a soft blanket, softer than he had ever felt, covered his small frame, and he heard the birds outside from the open window. He was confused, that wasn’t an understatement. Where was he?

“Did they take me somewhere else?” he asked, yet it wasn’t his voice, it was a girl’s voice, small and sharp with a strange lilt to it, unlike the language he would hear everyday besides the vendor he spoke to whenever he visited Floria. 

He blinked, and his body moved on its own, flipping the blankets to the side and he was confused by the soft blue dress, and softer tan skin. He tried to look away, but the person rose from the bed and walked across the room to a table covered in books, papers, pencils, and he spotted strange drawings all over the place, words he didn’t understand, different languages he had spotted several times from passing travelers. 

It was intricate. New, fresh, a discovery of many things, and he wished he could touch it, but the person didn’t touch anything. They looked, or she looked, and admired, with a smile upon her face because he felt it on his face. And for some reason, before he could wonder what was going on, he was shoved out of the dream, and back into his body. 

He trembled, pushing himself, his gaze flickered around the strange yet familiar place. 

“It hasn’t even been an hour,” the familiar voice said, and Link slipped his feet off the bed and rose, he was a little off balanced and—

“Link,” a girl appeared before him, her brows furrowed as she placed a hand on his arm, “you shouldn’t be up.” He knew her as Cima, she helped the horses, and disliked thunderstorms. She rarely spoke to him, or at least, tried to speak to him. 

The man at the front looked over to him, he passed his rupee’s toward the stable owner and grinned as he walked toward him and the girl, “Hey, you’re awake, _ Mr. I-can-take-on-a-Bokoblin _.”

The girl glared, a hand on her hip, “Beedle, don’t make fun of him, he saved your life, and got you your dumb beetle.” 

The man, Beedle, chuckled. “Yeah, sorry, I shouldn’t be so rude. Thanks a lot, Link. I owe you for what you did for me.”

Link nodded, touching the wound on the side of his head and winced.

Cima frowned. “Yeah...you were bleeding a lot...we did what we could, Link.” She seemed a little nervous, besides Beedle who was admiring his new insect. “Maybe your people will do a lot more than we can.”

Beedle nodded, tucking the bug away. “Yeah, I’ll take you along the pathway, in case you faint.”

Link glanced out of the stable and nodded. Cima walked with him and Beedle toward the path before making her way back, and Beedle mostly talked as they headed into the forest, past the tall trees, bushes, and along the stones that helped them cross the rivers.

They came toward the path where most of the stone structures had been built. It led deeper into the city that was hidden from outsiders besides Beedle. Link knew the pathway, he lived there for years, and becoming friends with a traveling vendor seemed strange, it somehow worked out for the both of them. 

Beedle stopped and smiled at Link. “I’ll be leaving in a few days. I’m heading to Death Mountain, spend a few days at Foothill Stable.” He shrugged. “I’m not sure where else, maybe head over to the Hebra region, or even the Gerudo Desert. I probably won’t return for a few weeks to a month.” 

Link nodded slowly. “Month…”

“A month.” Beedle stepped over to Link and slowly embraced him. Link hugged him back, and then he watched Beedle head back toward the pathway. 

He felt a soft ache in his chest before turning away and headed back to his tribe, the Zonai. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if there's going to be a romance yet...so maybe it'll appear as I write the story. Oh, and if you're waiting for Link x Zelda, then, sorry but I don't ship them, and it won't show up in this fic. Link will possibly be with someone who is an original character. I just haven't figured it out yet.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciated.


	2. She Escaped Into A Dream

Zelda couldn’t ignore it any longer. She had troubles sleeping for sometime, and she’d awaken in a daze, confused of her own surroundings. Yet, the dreams showed her places she had never seen before, but maybe in passing if she was dreaming of it. She looked through maps until she found what was familiar to her.

West Necluda.

Since the dreams began troubling her, she had the idea of going there to visit the area. Maybe something innate wanted her to go, but when she asked her father, the King of Hyrule, he had disobeyed her from leaving the palace. He said that the Yiga Clan were still out to assassinate them and it isn’t a good time to venture Hyrule yet.

Zelda understood her father’s fears, but the dreams were persistent, and as they continued, she could no longer ignore them. 

During the night, she slipped out from her bed and quickly dressed into light clothing and boots that were good for travel. She pulled her dark blue cape on, securing it, and settling the hood over her blonde hair.

“I’m sorry…” she whispered to her empty bedroom, and mostly to her father. She walked down the hallway, watching for guards as she quickly maneuvered past them. She couldn’t go out the front gates, nor could she escape into Castle Town. Too many guards and people would recognize her, it would be a losing game on her end. She had to find a different way out.

There were secret passages underneath the castle. Rarely anyone ventured down there besides the knights who mostly lingered within the west end. She could easily slip past them if she wanted too. She just had to be careful, they were Hyrule’s soldiers and knights, they wouldn’t be foiled so easily, and not from someone inexperienced as her.

She watched the halls, taking steady breaths as she swept past the guards once she descended the staircase. She was a little afraid if a guard was at the bottom, or if they were coming up. She would easily be found out, but there was no one, and the hall was clear.

They hadn’t been attacked by a Yiga footsoldier in some time. The last time it happened, it was when she had gone to visit one of the towns, and on their way back to the castle, two of her soldiers were struck down quick, including a knight. She hadn’t been able to ignore the blood on the ground, the bodies that lay still, nor the fear that the footsoldier would succeed. There were two, and they appeared from the grass. They were slender in red and black body suits with a mask obscuring their faces, the weapons they held were a sickle and a bow that dripped of blood. 

That was the day she realized that they were determined to kill her and her father. To end the Hyrulean line for good. It frightened her of this realization, of knowing why her father didn’t want her to leave without an escort. And yet, here she was, sneaking past her father’s soldiers to get to a boat that was tied to a post. She pulled out a dagger and cut it free. She was glad she had it sharpened a few days before so no one would suspect her of leaving like she was now. She got into the boat, remembering her lessons on how to row, and pushed away from the dock.

Zelda gripped the oars, her heart pounding in her chest at what she was doing, and realized that even though there were dangers out in the world, and she was leaving without her father knowing of her whereabouts, she wasn’t afraid. There was no tremor in her hands, no second thoughts in what she was doing.

“This is right,” she said to herself as she rowed toward the entrance of the cave, but then caught sight of a guard entering from the top of the stairs, then going still. She was found out, and maybe she was relieved that now she wouldn’t have to give her father a heart attack at her brash decision. Although, she’ll still have to run and make it far enough before they get close enough at catching her.

The guard called for more while she rowed out of the cave. She was glad for the gloves that covered her hands, her fingers would be cold without them while rowing toward a dock down the river. It was old and unused, from what her father had told her, and a few others whom she asked when walking around the perimeter, figuring out an easy way to escape a few days before.

Zelda rowed until the boat hit the dock, and she gritted her teeth as she got out and glanced back toward the cave. Two boats were making their way toward her. She fixed the hood, then sprinted up the old walkway that was crumbling from the shift in the earth until she reached the grass.

However, she didn’t stop running, even how much her heart raced with fear that they would catch her. There was an old post up ahead, and during one of her treks around the area, she had also hid something within in case she was found prematurely.

Inside a small violet pouch was a small fire stone extracted from one of the Wizzrobe that held the fire affinity at its core. There was a lot of research going on with the creatures that occupied the kingdom, and this was one of their discoveries.

Zelda palmed the rock, it was warm and alive, and when she twisted around, she caught sight of four to eight guards appearing from the dock she had come from. Their silver armor glinted off the moon. She didn’t want to hurt anyone, she only wanted to give herself time. She tossed the stone into the air and it landed upon the grass, the same place she had made sure that was covered in oil. Instead of spreading too far out into the tall grass, the fire would keep the soldiers at bay with a wall of flame.

The second the fire rose, Zelda grabbed her hidden dagger. She sprinted away from the fire, from the soldiers, the castle, her father, and what she was racing too was something she hardly understood. She didn’t know how to explain it to anyone, and she had thought about it over and over again, knowing that it was a careful truth that sunk into her mind every night.

The dreams were too vivid, too real.

_ The Princess of Legend has the ability of foresight. _

She read those words within the ancient books she found deep in the library, behind the bookshelf, inside her father’s study. Most of them weren’t interesting to her, but this...the power that the princess held was hers, inherited down from the other princess’ who saved the kingdom, who fought with the hero.

And the dreams she had were an answer to a question she hardly knew, not yet, not when she could get close to it, and maybe she’ll understand what it means.

“Who are you?” Zelda asked the first time she dreamed of  _ him _ . A boy within the forest, he held a spear in hand, and had shoulder length blonde hair with blue eyes. He was fierce, yet lonely, she could feel it in her heart how lonely he was within the world, and how much he wanted to know the same questions she wanted answered.

He’s real, and Zelda was determined to find him, even if her father was against this idea. This was important, she needed to find him, she needed those answers before the beginning of the end gets too close for comfort.

“I will find you,” Zelda said as she sprinted through the tall grass of Hyrule Field, under the stars and the full moon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, sorry for not updating this fic at all. A lot happened throughout the months until now, and it was difficult to really update some stories, and I even had to put some on hold so I can deal with these issues. It has calmed down, somewhat, but I'm trying to deal with it.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciated.


	3. A Storm Follows Close Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link has yet another dream of this strange girl, and when he realizes that it might be true, he must make haste to save her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating as much. :/ I'm not yet sure of the outline of this story since it's not exactly a priority, but I should quickly make one in case I get stuck again. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy nonetheless.
> 
> Comments and/or Kudo's are appreciated.

Link slept under the shade on a hill. Both arms behind his head as he listened to the noise within the jungle he inhabited.

His dreams bothered him a little as he staring at the sky while standing near a dirt path that went in either way, but what he was interested in was the field he was standing in front of. There was a hot wind caressing the side of his face and his short blond strands. The sky was covered in darkening clouds, and there was rain falling in the distance and growing closer towards him.

He wasn’t afraid of the waters or the storm itself. Except he couldn’t ignore the way he trembled, his heart beating in his chest as he stared at the clouds, and felt the wind pick up much stronger as the smell of rain like wet mud or river water grew in the air.

Then he spotted something else in the far distance. A young woman with blonde hair and bright blue eyes was sprinting towards him. There was some kind of dagger on her hip, including a bow and a quiver of arrows strapped to her back. She was the only other thing around that was moving, and Link couldn’t look away from her as she grew closer, and right behind her was the the clouds, the lightning that flashed in the sky, and the torrential waters growing closer by the second.

Link was rooted to the ground as the woman became more defined as she sprinted towards him. A puff of air escaped her lips, and from her gaze, she didn’t seem to notice him all that much even if she was moving towards him. And right behind her was a strange sight of people wearing silver armor and they were on horse back.

The girl twisted around, her bow in her hand, an arrow notched, and he spotted a flicker of fire rising at the end of her arrow, then she let it go. It flew into the air, and hit the ground where it started to burn the grass. It rose right in front of the group of soldiers, stopping them from getting any closer as she continued sprinting towards Link.

_ “Who are you?” _he asked the second the blonde haired girl ran past him. He had reached his hand out to her, but he had gone through her wrist. She continued sprinting, and when he turned to watch her, her feet hit the dirt path that led toward a winding road, and he was sure she was going toward the lake.

When he looked back to the soldiers, Link was surprised to see not only was the fire out because of the rain, but the soldiers weren’t drawing any closer. They were dead. The horses were also dead besides their riders in the grass.

The only ones that were in the field were strange people in red looking clothes, and they wore white masks over their faces. Each of them held a certain type of weapon, while one them had a bow and they were pointing it directly at the woman, then they fired the arrow, and instead of one coming out, two appeared, barely striking the girl as she sprinted toward the entrance to a long bridge that spanned over the entire lake.

The rain fell upon the group as one of the strangers pointed. Then they sprinted after the girl.

Link watched, confused by what was happening. Why was he having this dream of her? Who were they? What was happening, and from the looks of it, she was heading straight towards...no, he couldn’t think of this dream as anything else.

Link’s heart was racing, and his mind was telling him over and over that this girl was important, and if he didn’t do something, she was going to die.

_ “It’s only a dream,” _ he whispered to himself. Then the water hit him, and Link woke up gasping, all he could recall was the cold splatters hitting his skin as he sat up.

A man named Nik stood in front of him, shocked by his outburst. “Link,” he said, the words coming out in a different language than Beedle’s. “You’re meant to come back to the tribe, the hunting party is pulling back.”

“Why?” Link asked, getting up and trying to calm his racing heart.

“A storm has hit Hyrule Field,” Nik said, brows furrowed. “It’s coming this way. It’ll ruin any game that we might have, but we can sustain for another few days until the storm is gone.”

Link nodded, however, the moment he heard storm, everything had stopped for him and he watched as Nik walked down the incline. He was dressed similarly to Link with red markings upon his defined arms and stomach. He had light brown skin with brown eyes, and wore a headpiece like Link, and unlike Link, he held a spear with a pointed tip instead of Link’s axe made from a Lynel bone.

“A storm...is coming this way?” he asked Nik.

The man turned around, he was a lot taller than Link, but was one of the people who enjoyed his presence, and vice versa. “Yes, that’s what I said.”

Link nodded. Heart racing, mind reeling, and he had to run, that’s all he knew. He yelled to Nik that he would be right back as he sprinted through the trees, ignoring Nik’s call once Link started his way through the jungle. The sun he had tried blocking out with the wide leaves were now being covered by the darkening clouds above.

She was getting closer and closer towards him. He didn’t know her purpose, but she was trying her best to get away from the soldiers, and now it seems the people in red were also going to end up killing her in some way. If she fell from the bridge, would she know how to swim, and the way she used her bow, she had been trained. However, the dagger she held at her hip, did she understand how to fight with it? Would she survive this if he didn’t get there on time?

The dreams were telling him something about her, and now she was heading towards him, and he to her. What did it mean? He wanted to know, desperately he wanted those questions answered. And maybe he’ll understand it best once he finds her.

Link didn’t think about anything else as he ran through the trees. He brought out his weapon and cut the leaves that were in the way, including the Lizalfos and Bokoblins that were in his way. He slashed the arrows that flew at him while he jumped from a ledge and down upon the pathway.

He ignored his feet hitting the puddles and mud upon the old stone pathways. It took him several minutes to leave Faron Woods. He had a sinking feeling he might not make it to the girl, and that she could be dead by now. Whoever the people in red were, they knew how to kill someone, and the way they used their weapons, they were also efficient.

Why were they hunting her though? That was the thing, she was an ordinary looking girl from the many dreams he had of her. She seemed to live better than most, but why was she a target? They weren’t after her simply to keep her alive, they were going to kill her. That was their entire objective, he knew when to spot a killer, and that’s exactly what they were.

His dreams have been reoccurring for sometime, he wasn’t sure why, but now it seemed it was becoming way too close for comfort. An odd feeling overwhelming him as the cold wind made him shudder as he drew near the old stone building that made up the entrance of the bridge.

_ Who are you? And most importantly, who are you to me? _

Link took out a small dagger from his side, and threw it into the air once he made it upon the bridge. The dagger spun before hitting its mark toward one of the red assassin’s about to harm the girl. She was real more than the dreams, and it pushed Link to save her before these people did anymore harm.

The girl pulled back her bow and the arrow went past one of the assassin’s and they held a scimitar in their hands, swinging it at her as they drew close, moving in quick succession and cutting through her bow.

She let out a cry as she was forced to drop the weapon, then she pulled out her dagger, blocking another attack that was directed at her. The sound of metal clashing as she pushed the assailant back before moving away. She wasn’t as quick, and from the way she fought, she only knew long raged attacks. From the way she was trying to defend herself, she was going to end up dead in a matter of seconds.

Two other assassin’s were getting closer to her. There were too many of them, and Link who was sprinting and jumping out of the way of their attacks, while managing to slash one of them in the chest, their body hit the cement as blood sprayed out. 

The rain was drawing closer upon the bridge, darkening the already grey cement, and the second the lightning flashed in the sky, followed by the rumble of thunder, Link grabbed the girl by the arm, yanking her out of the way of another attack directed to her neck, and pulled her off the bridge.

There was no other way. They were outmatched by whoever these people were, and this was the only other way to escape their attack and to save her life.

She let out a cry as the rain fell upon them, and twisted to meet his gaze, and her eyes widened at the sight of him. Whatever she was going to say, the words had fallen from whatever shock she was experiencing. 

She was familiar with him? She knew him? How? Who was she? 

He couldn’t ask any of these questions once they broke the surface of the water, sinking underneath as the storm raged on above.


End file.
